\u201cWe have hardened the target at the Wynn,\u201d he said, adding that covert security devices were employed at every entrance, while specially trained guards had also been deployed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are almost 40 of them at every opening of my building, plain clothes, armed, on the look-out, changing shift and being relieved every two hours so they don’t get bored,\u201d Wynn added.\u00a0\u201cWe have done extraordinary things to make sure that we protect our employees and our guests at the hotel.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\nThat security presence was further heightened this week, however. All bags belonging to Wynn casino patrons were inspected, causing a ten-minute wait to get inside. But could scenes like this ever become the norm in the city known for its “don’t ask, don’t tell” ambiance?<\/p>\n
Thinking Differently<\/h2>\n
\u201cWe have to start thinking like the Secret Service \u2026 start looking at tall buildings,\u201d David Shepherd told Bloomberg. As a former FBI special agent in counterterrorism who became security director for Las Vegas Sands Corp, Shepherd still questioned: \u201cHow far do we have to take it?\u201d<\/p>\n
He said that security has to be effective, but not intrusive, two concepts that would seem to be completely at odds, certainly based on years of TSA airport monitoring of Americans.<\/p>\n
Casino security expert Steven Baker told Reuters that the logistics of screening every piece of luggage carried by each of Las Vegas\u2019 42 million annual visitors was daunting, noting that M-16 rifles, for example, can be broken down to fit into a suitcase.<\/p>\n
Ed Davis, who served as police commissioner during the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing, told The New York Times<\/em> that because of the intrinsically unnosey nature of casinos and hotels in Sin City, it was \u201calmost impossible\u201d to perform the same kind of searches that can be done at an airport. Davis is now an adviser to the American Gaming Association, the casino industry’s lobbying arm.<\/p>\n\u201cUnfortunately, Las Vegas is a big soft target,\u201d Davis said, \u201cand the fact that it hasn\u2019t happened here before is a miracle.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\nNew Protocols Possible<\/h2>\n
According to\u00a0Nevada Gaming Control Board Chairman A.G. Burnett, Nevada State regulators and law enforcement officials set up a task force several years ago to tackle security issues.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were always worried about something like this happening on the casino floor, but this was outside the casino,\u201d he told Reuters in a telephone interview. \u201cWe will continue our efforts in speaking with Las Vegas casinos on [ways of] bolstering their security.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\nGaming operators tend to keep mum about their security policies, although both Las Vegas Sands and Caesars Entertainment Corp, when contacted by Bloomberg and Reuters, said they were constantly reviewing their protocols. Boyd Gaming also said it was looking at ways to increase security after the shooting, as did most other casino entities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis could be a turning point,\u201d said one executive, who asked to remain anonymous. \u201cEvery management team is going to move this up to the top of the list.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
How do you balance Las Vegas’ reputation as the “anything goes” city with renewed considerations for tighter security measures? That’s the question that casino executives are now grappling with, after Sunday’s deadliest-ever non-war gun rampage in American history. Wynn Las Vegas led the brigade this week, and began using metal detectors to screen customers entering […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":60113,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,21,18],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Las Vegas Casino Security a Tricky Conundrum in Wake of Mass Shooting<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n